All Rise...

Judge Gordon Sullivan's upset about all the old magazines in Purgatory's Waiting Room.

The Charge

Aesop's Fables are played out in the lives of lost souls…in hell!

Opening Statement

We are living in the future. With theaters increasingly clogged with
multi-hundred million dollar blockbusters and $50 million opening weekends being
seen as weak, smaller, riskier productions are getting squeezed out of the
multiplex. Luckily, there are more and more venues outside of theaters for movie
distribution and more and more filmmakers are finding success with alternate
funding and distribution models. Of course, some relatively traditional films
(like Red State) have found success in these alternate models, but it
would be silly to think that in the age of YouTube television shows and
Kickstarter funding models that the movies would stay the same. The Devil's
Carnival is a short horror film (55 minutes, making it like a long episode
of television) from Darren Lynn Bousman that owes much to his previous effort,
Repo! The Genetic Opera. It's likely to
appeal to fans of that previous effort, though the smaller budget and shorter
running time do detract.

Facts of the Case

As the film opens, three souls find themselves at the gates of Hell with a
ticket to the Devil's Carnival. As these poor souls wander through the carnival,
they meet its denizens and discover that they must pay for their sins in a
musical extravaganza.

The Evidence

The Devil's Carnival plays like Repo! The Genetic Opera crossed with a
particularly gothic episode of The Twilight Zone. There's a very heavy
musical focus—one of the stars is noted musician Emilie Autumn playing a
character not too different from one of her stage creations—the
damned-souls-in-hell angle feels like something from a bleaker morality play,
and the length helps give it that television-drama feel.

The comparison is particularly apt because The Devil's Carnival once
again pairs scribe Terrance Zdunich and director Darren Lynn Bousman for a film
that relies on techno-gothic touches and musical accompaniment executed on a
shoestring budget. Much of the cast from Repo! returns as well for roles
of varying sizes. Expect to see Paul Sorvino (as God!), Bill Moseley, Alexa
Vega, and Terrance Zdunich as Lucifer himself. All of these returning actors
have fun with their roles, but it's the new faces that will likely draw viewers
to The Devil's Carnival. Sean Patrick Flannery does a fine job as a
father distraught over the death of his daughter, and Emilie Autumn goths things
up with her character Painted Doll.

The question, of course, is does it work? The answer
is—largely—yes. However, it works only if the facts surrounding its
production are kept in mind. Those looking for another goth-musical extravaganza
like Repo! will be bitterly disappointed. That disappointment stems from
two things. First, this is a shorter piece that had to be filmed in a very
limited amount of time—it's even shorter and more quickly made than
Repo!. Thus, it goes through much more of a television-episode structure.
Character development would likely be deeper with a longer feature. However,
fans can be content that further episodes in The Devil's Carnival are on
their way.

The budget restricts some of what The Devil's Carnival may have been
able to achieve, but Darren Lynn Bousman is a master of using lens and digital
manipulation to suggest a world much larger than his budget can provide. That
said, The Devil's Carnival never feels cheap, though.

If I sound a bit ambivalent about The Devil's Carnival, that's
because I am. I admire many of the things that it achieves, especially given its
constraints. However, the film does have to operate in the shadow of a very
successful previous outing by the creative team, and given the obvious heights
of expectation, there is bound to be some disappointment. I also suspect that
once a number of these stories have been released by Bousman and Zdunich, their
appeal as a whole will be more obvious.

The Rebuttal Witnesses

Bousman and Zdunich, however, know where their proverbial bread is buttered.
They understand that without the fans, this flick is dead in the water. To
appeal to the hardcore demographic, they've released this Ringmaster
Edition of the film. Though you can buy a DVD version (at Hot Topic) and a
digital download of the film, this set is aimed at the true fans. It's a
Blu-ray/DVD combo, and will only be released in a numbered edition of 6,660
copies. The 1.78:1/1080p AVC-encoded image is strong, especially given the
budget. Detail is generally excellent, black levels are deep and consistent, and
colors (especially reds and oranges) are well saturated. The DTS-HD 5.1 track
included on the Blu-ray disc is also pleasing. Dialogue and singing come through
clear and well-balanced, while the music sounds rich and detailed. Some
directionality is evident as well. Again, given the constraints of time and
budget, this is an excellent release.

The extras, though, are where the love really shows. Things kick off with
three commentary tracks. The first includes Bousman and Zdunich, the second a
number of cast members, and the third is a "Repo! Reunion" that
includes most of the group who worked on both productions. The first track is a
great technical discussion of the film and what is was trying to achieve, the
second does a fine job documenting the atmosphere and stories of the shoot,
while the third is fun for fans of both productions. Three featurettes follow,
including discussion of the making of the film, its makeup effects, and the tour
used to promote the film once it was finished. The film's trailer and web
teasers are also included. Finally, in addition to the DVD copy included in this
edition, the case also includes a collectible booklet with lyrics from the songs
featured in the flick.

Closing Statement

The Devil's Carnival is absolutely worth a rental for fans of Darren
Lynn Bousman's mad aesthetic from Repo! The
Genetic Opera. Re-teaming with his writer from that flick for a new musical
was a brilliant idea, and though the 55-minute film included here isn't perfect,
it's a solid bet for fans of Bousman and Zdunich. Those who saw the film during
its road-show tour can buy this Ringmaster Edition with confidence, and
anyone who thinks they might even like this a little is urged to spring for this
set because the extras are great and the 6,660 copies are likely to go fast.

The Verdict

I don't want to visit The Devil's Carnival, but the film is not
guilty.